Sophia Labadi obtains PhD and Master in Cultural Heritage from the University College London (UK. She has graduated from the Institute of Political Sciences in Grenoble (France). Since 2004 she has held different positions within UNESCO. She has worked in the Secretariat of the 1972 World Heritage Convention and of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage; she also participated in the strategic planning and drafting of the 2009 UNESCO World Report on Cultural Diversity and has acted as the Associate Editor of the International Social Science Journal. At the same time she has worked as a researcher, on topics such as migration, museums, heritage, regeneration, culture, and development.
1. You are a visiting fellow at Stanford University, Department of Anthropology. Do you feel any difference in the academic framework and atmosphere in the university in comparison with others you have already been involved with?
This has been my first experience as a visiting fellow. I cannot therefore compare this unique experience with any previous similar experiences I could have had. It is true that I felt extremely privileged to be at Stanford University, one of the best universities in the world with first class facilities, including its well furnished library, open 24 hours, in case insomniac students want to work. Besides, I wrote my first authored book at Stanford on World and Intangible Heritage, was given the best possible guidance by Stanford Faculty members and was pushed to develop freely my arguments.
2. Since 2010, you have acquired experiences in coordinating or developing courses on heritage for different institutions. Why were these courses needed? What is the positive dimension of online courses?
In 2010, I worked for UNESCO and provided assistance in the preparation of courses on the ratification and implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Following that experience, I have started developing online courses on ‘Safeguarding Intangible Heritage’ and ‘World Heritage Processes’ for The UMASS Amherst Center for Heritage and Society. These two courses are original since they intend to equip participants with an understanding and a working appreciation of both theoretical and operational approaches to the working practices in the field of cultural heritage and to the key issues faced by heritage managers, intergovernmental, non-governmental and community agencies. These are online courses which can be taken by any concerned student or professional anywhere in the world. This enriches tremendously the course content, the interactions between its participants in the course as well as the different conceptions of, and approaches to heritage preservation and safeguarding that participants get exposed to.
3. Could you share with us what inspired you to write your latest book on “Heritage and Globalization” (published by Routledge in 2001)? What is the uniqueness of this book? Please give a link where users can see/buy/read abstract of the book.
Colin Long and myself were invited to edit the volume entitled ‘Heritage and Globalisation’ as part of a wider series of publication on Key Issues in Cultural Heritage launched by Professors Bill Logan and Laurajane Smith. Heritage is often claimed to be central to solving the most pressing and current social issues such as the fight against climate change or poverty, the erosion of social cohesion or the exclusion of minorities. However, publications are lacking on this subject. This book intends to fill such a gap. It also analyses the key impacts of globalised organisations, in particular of UNESCO on heritage preservation. In doing so, it identifies the major directions in which international heritage practice is heading, and explores the key issues likely to shape the cultural heritage field well into the 21st century.
More precisely, this book analyses the politics, policy and practice of cultural heritage at the global level, examines the tensions between the universal claims of much heritage practice, particularly that associated with the World Heritage system, and national and local perspectives. It explores the international legal framework developed since WWII to protect heritage, particularly at times of war, and from theft, showing how contemporary global problems of conflict and illicit trade continue to challenge the international legal system.
This volume critiques the incorporation of heritage in the world economy through the policies of international development organisations and the global tourism trade. It also approaches heritage from seldom-considered perspectives, as a form of aid, as a development paradigm, and as a form of sustainable practice.
Finally, this publication identifies what the editors consider to be some of the most pressing issues likely to face the heritage industry at a global level in coming decades, including the threat posed by climate change, or the need to use heritage for poverty reduction.
4. In October 2008 you received the annual Cultural Policy Research Award. Did this change your professional life as a young researcher? If yes, in what respect?
Of course, the Cultural Policy Research Award changed my professional life. It strongly reinforced the visibility of my research on heritage, culture and development and provided me with working opportunities on the subject within UNESCO. In addition, it strengthened the credibility of my research, which aimed to evaluate the socio-economic impacts of selected regenerated heritage sites in
Europe. The full report of the research undertaken with this award has just been released: download here. I do hope that its results, conclusions and recommendations will help to shape the debate on heritage regeneration and its evaluation.
5. How would you evaluate the importance of cooperation and networking in the cultural policy research field? Are you a member of any national or international networks or alumni of researchers? Do you use collaborative online platforms in your professional work?
Cooperation and networking are keys in the cultural policy research field. Meetings and conferences are a great way to network and develop new projects. In that respect, ENCACT annual conferences are a great occasion to network and find projects and teams to collaborate with. I am also a member of ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, ARTERIAL, a wide network of non-government organisations, creative industry companies, festivals and individual engaged in the African creative sector or the Groupe de Recherches sur les Musées et le Patrimoine, which group young researchers in the field of heritage and museum studies.
6. What do you do in your free time? What is your favourite arts , culture or leisure activity? Do you volunteer for social or cultural causes?
During my free time I travel to discover different cultures. I also try to do some yoga, when I don’t feel too lazy. I also work as a volunteer for a fairer representation of immigrants in cultural, social and political spaces in European societies.
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